NORTH WHIDBEY FIRE & RESCUE

What NORTH WHIDBEY FIRE & RESCUE does

North Whidbey Fire & Rescue (NWFR) is a special fire protection district organized under Washington State statute RCW 52.14.010, providing fire suppression, emergency medical services, hazardous materials response, technical rescue (including MSAR/search and rescue), and wildland fire response across North Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington. The district operates from its administrative headquarters at 770 NE Midway Blvd in Oak Harbor, WA, and runs three fire stations (ST 22, ST 25, ST 27) staffed by a combination of career personnel and volunteers. Leadership comprises Fire Chief C. Swiger (since 2014), Deputy Chief R. Merrill (since 2024), and Battalion Chiefs D. Horton (since 2009) and I. Walton (since 2012), with back-office functions consolidated under an Accounting/Office Manager/Board Secretary role (N. Spydell, since 2022).

The district's product surface extends beyond emergency response to a portfolio of community-facing services: CPR certification classes with online registration, fire prevention and disaster preparedness education (covering earthquakes, tsunamis, wind events, winter storms, landslides, flooding, wildland fires, volcanic hazards, and extreme heat), outdoor burning permits with seasonal burn ban enforcement, reflective address sign sales, and facility rentals for community use. Distribution runs through the 911 emergency response system for incident delivery, with non-emergency services transacted online — fee collection is processed via ConvergePay and the district's public website (nwfr.org) is hosted on the Streamline platform designed for special districts, providing accessibility compliance and public records infrastructure.

NWFR is a public governmental entity, not a commercial company. It is governed by an elected board of commissioners and funded primarily through property taxes and voter-approved special levies within district boundaries; commissioner compensation is set by the Washington State Office of Financial Management. There are no investors, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed revenue or budget figures. Commercial revenue is incidental — limited to small fees from CPR classes, burn permits, and facility rentals — and is not the funding backbone of the organization. Strategic partnerships include a collaborative HAZMAT training arrangement with the Navy Fire Department (announced 2026-06-06) and a community-morale partnership with the Oak Harbor Elks Lodge 2362 for the annual First Responders Dinner.

Name

NORTH WHIDBEY FIRE & RESCUE

Legal name

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue

Website

https://nwfr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North Whidbey Fire & Rescue is a Washington State special fire protection district providing fire suppression, EMS, HAZMAT, and rescue services across North Whidbey Island in Island County, plus CPR training, disaster preparedness education, burn permits, and community facility rentals funded primarily by property taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire and Emergency Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fire Prevention, Inspection & Code Enforcement (Life Safety) (BPAIAGAL), Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), Wildfire Suppression & Incident Response (AFAMAEAE)

Keywords

• Fire suppression services
• Emergency medical response
• Technical rescue operations
• Disaster preparedness training
• Fire prevention education

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

North Whidbey Fire & Rescue is a Washington State special fire protection district providing emergency fire suppression, wildland fire response, emergency medical services, HAZMAT operations, search and rescue (MSAR), and technical rescue across North Whidbey Island. It also issues outdoor burning permits and delivers public safety education covering CPR, smoke/CO alarms, exit drills, and disaster preparedness (earthquakes, tsunamis, wind, storms, flooding, wildland fires, extreme heat).

Product overview

North Whidbey Fire & Rescue is a special fire district providing emergency response services, fire prevention, and community safety programs. The organization offers fire suppression, emergency medical services, rescue operations, and public education programs including CPR classes. The department operates multiple stations and provides services such as outdoor burning permits, disaster preparedness education, and facility rentals for community use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Navy Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2026Collaborative HAZMAT training program with Navy Fire, including HAZMAT Operations/Skills training sessions conducted jointly at district facilities. This partnership enhances emergency response capabilities for both civilian and military emergency situations in the region.
• Oak Harbor Elks Lodge 2362minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the annual First Responders Dinner event recognizing first responders in the community. The Elks Lodge provides facility for the recognition event supporting community morale and first responder appreciation.
• Streamline (Special District Technology Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite hosting and administration platform provider for special districts. Streamline powers the district's website (nwfr.org), providing website accessibility compliance tools, ADA accommodation support via Aira, and compliance coordinator infrastructure for website accessibility statements.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority: Consolidated regional fire authority formed from multiple former fire districts in south Snohomish/north King County. Comparable service offerings including fire, EMS, HAZMAT, prevention, and public education, but operates at significantly larger scale and over a broader geographic footprint.

Regional players

• South Whidbey Fire/EMS: Adjacent special-purpose fire district serving the southern portion of Whidbey Island. Comparable in scale, funding model (property-tax-funded district), and full-service scope (fire, EMS, rescue), making it the most direct operational peer within Island County.
• Oak Harbor Fire Department (Navy): Military fire department operating from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island with HAZMAT and structural firefighting capability. Functions as an allied agency in the same operating geography and partner on joint HAZMAT training.
• Camano Island Fire & Rescue: Island-based fire protection district in Island County, Washington, providing fire suppression, EMS, and rescue services. Shares the same rural-island operating context, volunteer-plus-career staffing model, and property-tax funding structure.

Direct peers

• Eastside Fire & Rescue: Regional fire authority in Washington State providing fire suppression, EMS, fire prevention education, and disaster preparedness across multiple jurisdictions. Comparable service portfolio and public-education emphasis, including CPR training and community risk reduction.
• Kitsap County Fire District 7: Washington State fire protection district serving a portion of Kitsap County with fire, EMS, rescue, and community risk reduction services. Comparable in scale and structure, particularly relevant as a peer operating in another Puget Sound region with overlapping hazard profiles.
• Snohomish County Fire District 1: Washington State fire protection district offering fire, EMS, rescue, prevention, and public education programs funded by property taxes. Most relevant direct structural peer given the same Washington State governance model and comparable all-hazards service mix.
• Central Pierce Fire & Rescue: Washington State fire protection district delivering fire, EMS, rescue, HAZMAT, and public education under a similar RCW-governed special district framework. Comparable in service breadth and community-safety mission, though at significantly larger scale in Pierce County.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NorthWhidbeyFire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NORTH WHIDBEY FIRE & RESCUE